Mad, Crazy Love
by Chaimera
Summary: George's thoughts on love and relationships over an evening and a bit.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Dead Like Me or anything to do with it. Please don't sue me.**

**Ok, so here's the deal. The second series is not being shown over here in Ireland, the bog ass end of nowhere, so lets make this AU and pretend none of it happens because poor little me has to wait for it to come out on DVD.**

**Anyway, this is Georges little take on love and the effects going to the park has on people. **

**Mad, Crazy Love.**

**By Chaimera**

When a man loves a woman, fucked up shit happens.

I know this for a fact. Not from personal experience of course, but from observation. Which is what I'm best at. Look at my family. May father is cheating on my mother with a girl half her age and now Reggie is stuck in a situation where she knows that her parents don't love each other. Or my co-workers.

We have Rube who was probably married with a family of his own. Then he died and now he has shut down any part of his mind that could entertain romantic feelings for anyone. He knows that there's simply too much pain involved.

Or Daisy. Daisy yearns for a love she never had and, as awful as it sound, probably will never have. I saw Daisy's last thought and I suddenly understood everything about her.

As for Roxy and Mason, I really don't know. They're both too closed off for me to figure out much about them. Well, Roxy's closed off, Mason is in a permanently drug induced haze.

Even in Happy Time I see it all happening. Relationships between workers spark off, go through their ups and downs and then crash and burn. You see husbands and wives cheating on their spouses. You see husbands and wives worrying over whether their spouses are cheating on them.

Even with Deloris, you can tell she's had some kind of heart break in her life. Its why she takes all those homeless lovers.

Eww!

The other thing about love, is that everybody's experience is different. Its not like you can compare. It's one of the single most personal things you can experience, apart from death. And that, I know a lot about.

Love is complicated and confusing, in all its forms. Between a parent and a child, between a man and a woman, between a man and a man, or even between friends, its never a smooth course.

I'm sitting in the park just watching the people go by. From my position on the grass underneath a tree I can see a lot.

People come to the park to do lots of things. To walk their dogs and children, to take a prospective partner on a romantic walk, to break up with a person because it's a public place, or just to think. I come to watch. I never got to have many experiences while I was alive, so now I'm living vicariously through other people. Even if it is from a far.

Suddenly I realise Rube is sitting beside me. Normally I'd be mad for some reason or another, but today I just cant seem to summon the energy.

I glance at him. "How did you find me?"

"Who said I was looking? I just happened to be taking a relaxing stroll, and I saw you here all alone. The antithesis of relaxing."

"I love you too Rube."

"Did you get your four o'clock?"

"Yeah I got him. He was a messy one."

"Impalement?"

"Disembowelment."

I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye and looked towards one of the benches near the path. There was a couple sitting on it. I'd seen them many times before. She was upset today. Last time it had been him. I always wonder what their saying, because their emotions are so clear on their faces. It's like watching a movie through a window.

Rube started to speak again, jolting me from my thoughts. "I was walking. What are you doing here?" "Me? I'm watching."

"Watching?"

"Yeah." I sat back against the tree and looked at him. He was more relaxed than I'd ever really seen him. The park does that to you. I point to the couple on the bench. The man was now talking, gesturing wildly as the woman got more upset.

"You see those two? They come here at least once a week, without fail. And at least every three weeks they have a really big fight and one of them storms off. Oh look, there she goes. But she'll be back. I two days, after they've both calmed down and they'll make up. Then they'll sit on that bench and watch the sun set behind the trees before going to a small Italian restaurant just outside the park gates." "And after that?"

I raised an eyebrow at the question. "I don't follow them home, I'm not a perv. I just watch people in the park and the restaurant is on my way home. They always sit at the window."

"Quite an attention to detail you have peanut."

I just shrugged. The man stayed where he was for a while and then left. Myself and Rube as the sky turned red and the sun disappeared behind the trees.

Rube stood up and stretched. "It's a nice spot you have here peanut. Do you mind if I come back and join you in two days? I want to see how this one ends."

I shook my head. "As long as you don't speak too much. You'll ruin the watching."

He nodded and headed off. I stayed for a while until the park was nearly totally dark. As I walked along the dark path by myself, I could hear the rats and squirrels and what not moving in the undergrowth. I was dead and invulnerable now, I knew, but I still felt nervous. And tonight with good reason it seemed. The hand that clamped down on my mouth stifled my scream. I felt something sharp pressed to the small of my back.

"If you scream, I'm gonna cut you up bad bitch. You got it?"

The mans breath was hot on my neck and he gave a lecherous laugh that made me shiver. It would figure that everything happens to me after I die. I wonder is he a still a necrophiliac if he doesn't know he's raping a dead girl.

He threw me down and I kicked out and screamed anyway. Its not like that knife was going to do me much damage. As I kicked him the knife was thrown into the darkness but he was much bigger and stronger than me. He laughed and threw himself on top of me but before I could register the serious of the situation he was pulled off me. I heard a punch connect and sat up to see my attacker stumble off into the darkness.

"You ok Georgie?"

"Mason? You're making this a habit."

"Yeah. Seems so."

He reached down and helped me up. "You ok?" He repeated.

I nodded silently and rubbed my shoulder. "A bit shook up?"

"Yeah and the bastard bit me."

I couldn't see Mason's face clearly in the darkness but I could tell he wasn't his usual jovial self. I brushed myself off and looked at him.

"Should we go after him? Make an anonymous report maybe?"

Mason shook his head. "No. He's got an appointment to keep. It's why I was around."

"Oh."

"Look over there." He pointed across the path. A graveling sat there, looking at me strangely before bounding into the darkness. It the distance we could hear the splintering of wood and a loud thud and then all was silence again.

"What was that about?"

"Gravelings may like to drop pianos on people but still, they like that kind of shit less than the rest of us. It doesn't make sense to them. Are you sure you're ok?"

His concern was touching, well sort of. It would have been as touching if it hadn't smelled of whiskey. "…I'll survive. Thanks for saving me."

"Anything for you George."

We walked in silence for a while and then sat down on a bench. "Mason?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the deal with reaper relationships?"

He shrugged. It was so dark now that is was nearly impossible to see him now, with the lack of street lights. "Well, you already know that mortal/reaper relationships are off limits after your little adventure with Donnie Robbs."

"Ronnie Dobbs."

"Whatever. Random sexual encounters are ok, as you know from Daisy."

"And you. We all heard about the Goth girl in the music store." If I didn't know better I would say Mason sounded embarrassed.

"Anyway, reaper/reaper relationships are just like any other, except sometimes they can last for centuries. Why do you ask?"

My turn to shrug. "I was just curious."

"You know Georgie, you're quite cute, smart, funny."

I'm glad its dark, because I'm blushing like hell. I put my tough voice on. "What are you getting at? Besides I thought you were in love with Daisy."

"Daisy? Naw, she likes the attention, occasionally she lets me look at her boobs. It's a win win situation."

"Whatever."

"Seriously George, maybe in a while, when you're a little more emotionally stable, we can have a go at it. I can see myself in love with someone like you."

I blinked. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Nope. And I don't think I'm likely too either, unless you give me a chance."

"Umm…"

He laughed. "Lets head back to where the people are. I'm on a two post it night."

We got up and he slung an arm around my shoulders as we walked. I guess to day is my day for experiences. He left me on a corner a few blocks away from the park, giving me a kiss on the cheek and telling me to be careful.

As I walked through town I did more people watching. There were a lot of people making out down ally ways. In fact I was so caught up in observing that I didn't observe what was in front of me.

"Watch where you're going bitch!"

I know that disgruntled voice. "Hi Roxy. So this is where you live."

"Yeah. Don't you be calling around or anything."

I rolled my eyes.

A tall man with dark, smooth skin and deep brown eyes. He smiled at Roxy. "Hey there Di. Who's your friend?"

Roxy smiled at him and I grinned behind his back. "This here's Millie….uh, she's not my friend."

The man laughed. "Well, if you talk to her she has to be more of a friend than most people. I'll see you soon."

The man disappeared into the apartment block and I smiled at Roxy. "Who's the guy?"

"Keep your nose out of my business."

"Ok. Fine, who's Di?"

"Diana. My other persona."

I nodded. "Cool. I can see you as a Diana."

Suddenly Roxy reached over and pulled back the top of my jacket and revealed the pale skin of my shoulder which still had a bruise on it from my little encounter. I was fading as we both looked at it. "What happened? You didn't have an appointment tonight."

I was surprised she cared and it rendered me speechless. "I…um…"

"Spit it out. I don't have all night."

"I got attacked by some guy in the park."

"Did he…"

"No. No, he was Mason's reap and he came along just in time."

"Oh. Ok. You need to be more careful you silly bitch."

"It's nice to know you care."

"Whatever. Get out of here. Go on."

"Bye Roxy." I waved to her as I left.

It was near midnight when I finally got back to the house. It was quiet when I opened the door, which meant one of two things. Either she was in some random rich mans bed, or she was alone in her own bed. I hated Daisy when I first knew her, mostly because she took my bed and used the bathroom for way too long but now that we were in a house with more than enough room for both of us, I had come to appreciate the complex creature that was Daisy, Daisy Adair. As I passed her room I didn't hear any soft snoring that signalled her presence so I assumed she was off 'blowing' some millionaire in some limo. As long as I didn't have to feed them the next morning, I honestly didn't care what she did with them. And generally, I tried to be there when she'd just had too much.

I smiled as I saw the woman take her place on the bench. She was always the first to get there. She looked different today though. Her shoulders were slumped slightly and her hair was limp. I couldn't see her face as she was turned away from me. I sat back as Rube sat down beside me.

"Well, you were right. She's here on time."

"Of course I'm right. I've been coming here for months. They never change."

"We'll just have to see if he turns up."

"He'll be here."

We sat in silence for a while as we waited. Suddenly Rube piped up again. "So, I hear you had a little run in two days ago?"

I paused. "I didn't think Mason would tell." I said softly.

"He didn't. Roxy did."

"I didn't think she'd tell either."

Rube looked at me carefully. "Are you ok?"

"…I'll survive. I have to."

He took my hand and we waited. We watched the sun dip behind the trees and the woman stood up and walked slowly away.

I sighed. "He never came. He always….Oh."

"What?"

"That's why she was different. She knew he wasn't coming. He died two days ago."

"…I'm sorry peanut."

"That's fucked up."

"I know."

More silence.

"Peanut?"

"Yeah?"

"There's a great little Italian place I know, just near here. Come on, I'll buy you dinner."

I nodded and we both got up and walked away, arms around each other like my first assignment when we left the wood.

I guess we all have experienced love, even if we don't know it. Love of a father and daughter, pet and owner, a friend you didn't think was a friend. As corny as it sounds, it is all around. Its fucked up, twisted, sweet, forgiving, mad, crazy, unconditional and totally irrational and I think, once I'm more emotionally stable, I'd like to experience it a bit more directly.

**End.**

**So, what didst thou think? RR if you please.**

**Much Grá lads.**


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